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E L L I O T T ' S TRAVEL NOTES
Travel news, opinion and analysis

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September 7, 2004

Frances Leaves Dent in Tourism
After Hurricane Frances left her cooped up in a hotel room with her two daughters for days, Jackie Pender made up her mind. "I'm never coming back," said the 42-year-old utility company worker from New York as she spent her last day in Orlando at Universal Studios. "The hurricanes -- I can't take it." Tourism officials in Florida are worried that Pender's opinion could spread as fast as images of hurricane shelters and clogged highways. In years past, hurricanes -- not even Hurricane Andrew in 1992 -- had little noticeable effect on the state's biggest industry. But Florida hasn't experienced a one-two punch in decades like it received in the past month from Hurricanes Charley and Frances. AP | Posted 6:30 a.m.
• Florida Digs Out of Hurricane Damage (LA Times)
• Ivan Takes Aim at Florida - Again (Sun Sentinel)

It's a disaster area here. Phone service came back late yesterday; still no power. And more to come, according to the forecasts.

Beware of All-Inclusive Hotels
Some all-inclusive hotels are far from the cash-free paradises they claim to be, according to a Consumers' Association (CA) survey out today. Fare at some establishments in Bulgaria included fish fingers and congealed eggs, while a promenade near a group of hotels was frequented in the evening by prostitutes, the CA's Holiday Which? magazine found. The magazine's inspectors also found the Bulgarian all-inclusive hotels were generally cramped and lacked facilities, with little in the way of entertainment for guests. Manchester Travel| Posted 6:35 a.m.

Are Hotels Blocking Cell Phones?
As a frequent guest at a Salt Lake City Hampton Inn, Murray Trepel often finds himself powering down his cellphone and picking up the house phone. "My cellphone seldom works anywhere near the hotel," said Mr. Trepel, the senior manager for a call-center service provider in Logan, Utah. "Not just in my room, but in the parking lot as well." What is going on? Mr. Trepel, like many business travelers who depend on uninterrupted service from their wireless company, has a long list of probable culprits - including the building's architecture, the area's geography and the cellphone industry's erratic coverage. But another theory is starting to gain traction among business travelers: hotels are blocking the signals. The New York Times | Posted 6:45 a.m.

A Boatload of Controversy for Norwegian - Hawaii is a dream destination for most travelers, but Norwegian Cruise Line endured a nightmarish start to its much-anticipated NCL America program in the Aloha state. First, NCL's Pride of America, the first newly constructed U.S.-flag cruise ship in half of a century, sank during a storm last January in a German shipyard. The vessel, scheduled to begin leisurely weeklong sailings to four islands in July, will be delayed about a year while repairs are completed. Houston Chronicle | Posted 7 a.m.

Alitalia Plans To Cut 5,000 Jobs - Italy’s flagship air carrier Alitalia plans to cut 5,000 jobs as part of restructuring efforts aimed at avoiding collapse, news reports and an industry source said Monday. The cuts are almost a fourth of Alitalia’s 22,000-strong work force. ANSA and other news reports cited union sources. An industry source confirmed the reports but did not elaborate. AP | Posted 7:05 a.m.

Air New Zealand Wins DVT Case - A US court of appeal has cleared Air New Zealand of any responsibility for one of its passengers developing deep vein thrombosis on a long-haul flight. The Federal Appeals Court in San Francisco ruled that Air NZ was not to blame for a clot suffered by American Adriene Rodriguez, who collapsed after a 12-hour flight from Los Angeles to Auckland in 2000. Rodriguez, who was hospitalized for five days before continuing on to Melbourne, sued the airline, claiming it had failed to adequately warn passengers about the dangers of DVT. Travelbiz.com | Posted 7:10 a.m.

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• Off the Record ... James Wysong has a hard-hitting commentary on executive compensations, which I just posted this morning. In it, he suggests that activist employees are the only way to keep CEO greed in check. Posted 7:15 a.m. | Send us your comments.

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